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Book _ > (i) % 2 



m 



The Jubilee of J^Tcw England. 



SERMON. ^^7 

PREACHED IN IIADLEY, DECEMBER 22, 1020. 

IN COMMr-MOHATION OF THE LANDING OF 

OUR FATHERS AT PLYxMOUTH ; 

BEimi TfVO CE\TURIES 

FROM THAT EVr.M . 



1/ 

BV JOHN WOODBRIDGK, 

Pastor of the Cliurch in Hadlcy. 



NORTIIAMFTO-N : 

I-RINTEIJ nv T. W. SUtrABD &. 

1821. 



r^8 



ADFERTISEMEf^T. 

Q:^ To save the trouble of particular reference in the body of 
ike following Sermon, the writer would acknowledge in this placCj 
his special tbligations to JVeaVs History of the Puritans, Mather^s 
Magnolia, TrumhulVs General History of the United States, Miss 
Adams'^ History of New England, MarshaVs Life of Washington, 
Rev. Mr. Churches Sermon on the first settlement of J^ew Eng- 
land, Rabbins'' Continuation of Tytler^ and various other works of 
approved accuracy. 



,<>}<l) 



S®SM®lf< 



Psalm xliv, 1 — 3. 
We have heard -with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, 
what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old : How 
thou didst drive out the heathen with thy hand, and plantedst 
ihein ; how thou didst afflict the people, and cast them out. For 
they got not the land in possession by their own srvord, neither 
did their own arm save them ; but thy right hand, and thine 
arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadat a 
favor unto them. 

X WO hundred years have elapsed, since the settlement of 
New England commenced ; and we, in common with multi- 
tudes of christians, in this now populous and happy country, 
have assembled to commemorate the virtues of our fathers, 
and the merciful dealings of Heaven towards them, and their 
posterity. May I not, therefore, hope for your attention, while 
! briefly exhibit those great outlines of our history, which most 
impressively illustrate the goodness of God to New England, 
and our obligations to gratitude. 

Our fathers were puritans. The name was first given to 
those, who, under the arbitrary reign of Elizabeth, distinguish- 
ed themselves by their opposition to the superstitious ceremo 
nies of the English church, and by their zeal for restoring the 
worship of God to the simplicity and purity of the apostolic 
days. By an attempt so laudable, they exposed themselves to 
the resentment of their sovereign, who resolved to enforce, at 
all events, and by the severest penalties, perfect uniformity in 
the religion of her subjects. Her successor, James I. with 
'alents incomparably inferior to hers, imbibed all her high no- 



lions of prerogative, and pursued the policy of coercing all to 
a conformity to the rites of the established church. In this 
situation, the puritans were obliged to violate their conscien- 
ces, by submitting to forms which they regarded as anti-scrip- 
tural ; or to subject themselves to persecution at home ; or to 
f^cek, in some foreign country, an asylum from oppression. 
They were, as a body, eminent for their piety; and not a few 
of them, for their learning. Their divines indeed were sur- 
passed by none in extensive erudition, personal sanctity, and 
diligence in the pastoral office. So far were the puritans from 
possessing a factious spirit, that they were ready to yield to 
every exercise of the royal authority, not incompatible with 
their duty to God, and the just rights of the subject. They 
were, at the same time, the determined enemies of regal usur- 
pation, and the avowed advocates of rational freedom ; so that 
Hume himself, who hated their principles, is obliged to pay to 
their memory the following tribute of reluctant praise. " By 
them alone, the precious spark of liberty had been kindled, 
and was preserved, and to them the English owe the whole 
freedom of their constitution." Our fathers were puritans. 

They chose a residence in the American wilderness, not for 
purposes of gain, or of glory, but for the undisturbed enjoy- 
ment of their religion, for erecting a church on evangelical 
principles, for establishing a christian Commonwealth, and for 
extending the blessings of the gospel to the savage natives of 
this new world. Noble design ! Let us now mark the success, 
with which, through the kindness of Providence, it was so 
gloriously crowned. 

A. D. 1608, Mr. Robinson, a learned and pious dissenting 
clergyman in England, desirous of avoiding the temptations 
incident to a residence in his own country, and escaping the 
pollutions of the world, removed, with a part of his congrega- 
tion, into Amsterdam in Holland. His principles were truly 
catholic. He was unwilling to separate jfrom any of the 
churches of Christ ; and, while he opposed the corruptions of 
the English church, he readily received from it to his commu- 
nion, all such, as manifested an attachment to the essential 
doctrines of the cross, and exhibited evidence of genuine piety. 
In the following year, he, with the people of his charge, re- 



;uo\r'l to Lc3ilen, where they enjoyed, unmolested, their reli- 
;inu- piivilej^cs. After twelve years, they contemplated a 
It inoval to America ; and obtained from kiii£^ James the pri- 
vate assurance, that, provided they were pcaceahlo, he would 
give them no molestation in their enterprise. They were in- 
duced to meditate a change of residence, from a consideration 
of the nnhcalthincss of tijc climate ; the hard'^hips incurred, 
in earning' the means of subsistence ; the prospect of war be- 
tween Spain and Holland ; the licentious manners of the Hol- 
landers, by which the principles and morals of their youth 
were endangered ; and also, by the wish of establishing a 
church, and civil polity, agreeable to the laws of Christianity, 
and of propagating the gospsl among heathen nations. Their 
resolution was not formed, till after much solemn deliberation, 
and many earnest prayers. It was at last detcnnincd, that a 
part of the congregation only, consisting of the younger and 
more robust, should tirst undertake the perils of a new settle- 
ment on the western continent ; and that the pastor, with the 
majority of his flock, should remain at Leyden, till a place of 
permanent abode had been selected, and a foundation for a 
colony laid, by their enterprising brethren. Tiio adventurers 
were not, however, to separate themselves from christian pri- 
vileges; and Mr. William Brewster, an assistant teacher to Mr. 
Robinson, was chosen, and readily consented, to attend them 
in their pious undertaking. After emjiloying two ships for 
their transportation, this little band of worthies, on the 2d of 
July, 1620, assembled to hear a farewell Sermon from their 
pastor; and, having wept for a time in the arms of their breth- 
ren, set sail, amidst their tears, prayers and benediction?. 
They soon reached Southampton in England ; and on the 5th 
of August, sailed from that place, with the intention of crossing, 
tiie Atlantick. Twice were they driven back by the weather; 
and one of the ships proved so defective, that they were oblig- 
ed to dismiss it from their service. The whole company, con- 
sisting of a hundred and one persons, betook themselves to the 
otiicr ship ; they sailed iVom old Plymouth on the 6th of Sept. 
•ind, after a tempestuous and dangerous voyage, during whicli 
many of them were so disheartened as to meditate a return to 
llaropc, they arrived at C';ij»o Cod on the 9th of November. 



6 

Previously to their disembarkation, however, after ardent 
thanks to God, for his protection and guidance, amidst the dan- 
gers of the deep, they formed themselves into a political com- 
munity, under the English crown ; subscribed a contract, as the 
basis of their government ; and elected Mr. John Carver as 
their governor for the first year. It is not easy for us to con- 
ceive, it is not possible to describe, the mingled emotions with 
which they were agitated, when they found themselves on the 
American ground. It was their first object to find a convenient 
place for their intended settlement ; and for this purpose, three 
parties, in succession, were employed to explore the country. 
The first and the second returned without the desired success ; 
but they found a quantity of Indian corn, which served them 
for seed in the ensuing spring. They, who engaged in the 
third expedition, after many sufferings occasioned by the in- 
clemency of the season, and after having resisted and dispers- 
ed, without the loss of a man, a band of savages, by whom they 
were suddenly surrounded, and assailed with arrows, discover- 
ed the spot where Plymouth now stands, and returned with an 
encouraging report to their companions. This was therefore 
chosen as the seat of the colony ; and on the 25th of Decem- 
ber, the company began to build the first dwelling house, that 
had ever been erected in New England. 

Many and severe were their trials. Thrown, in the midst 
of winter, into an uncultivated and inhospitable region ; their 
provisions scanty ; without any other habitations, than those 
which could be raised, in such a season, and in such a place, 
by their own hands ; surrounded by blood-thirsty barbarians ; 
three thousand miles from home, and separated from the near- 
est civilized settlement by a distance of several hundred miles ; 
they had no where to look for counsel, no where to go for 
protection and relief in danger, but to the God of their salva- 
tion. It was his pleasure, that their faith and patience, in such 
a situation, should be further tried by wasting sickness. For 
two or three of the winter months, there were times, when 
scarcely five of their number had sufficient health to attend 
upon the sick ; and by the opening of the spring, fort3'-five of 
this little company had been gathered to the congregation of 
the dead. So early, and so sudden a removal of almost half 



thf ir number, would have dcsfroyod (lio forlitnde of the sur- 
M\ors, and pIuiis;:od them into despair, had they not already 
learned to account themselves but strangers and pilgrinis on 
the earth. 

They found abundant reason to speak of the mercies, as 
well as the judgments, of the God they worshipped. During 
that dismal winter, when they were utterly incapable of re- 
sisting an enemy ; He shielded them against all the cruel de- 
igns of their savage neighbors. That very race of men, who 
i-ix years before had expelled from the coast a company of 
Englishmen, designing to effect a settlement in the country, 
were restrained from moving a tongue, against this little host 
of puritans, benumbed with cold, exhausted by fatigue, and 
wasted by pestilence. Two or threo years previously to their 
arrival indeed, the population and strength of the aboriginal 
inhabitants, had been so diminished by sickness and war, as to 
render them far less dangerous enemies, than they would have 
been, at an earlier period. 

The winter was shorter than usual ; and in the spring, two 
Indians, — of whom, one had been acquainted with some Eng- 
lish fishing vessels on the eastern coast, and the other, having 
escaped from slavery in Spain, had lived some time in Eng- 
land, — made their appearance, and bade the settlers welcome 
in their own language. This last Indian was particularly 
friendly ; and among other services, that he rendered to the 
inlant colony, he succeeded, in bringing iMassasoit, the princi- 
pal sachem in the neighborhood, into a treaty of peace with 
the English, which was observed for fifty years. The exam- 
ple of this prince was followed by nine others; who, on the 
13th of September 1G21, subscribed a written acknowledgment 
of subjection to the British monarchy. Thus did God raise up 
fricHds to our ancestors among the heathen. 

In November, the settlers were joined by some of their 
friends from Holland, who brought with them a supply of nec' 
essaries, and a charter from England. 

At the close of the year 1G24, the town consi«;ted of a hun- 
dred and eighty inhabitants. From so feeble a beginning, did 
the colony of Plymouth rise to respectability, riches and pow- 
er. " In a few years," says Cotton Mather, " there was a 



notable number of towns to be seen settled among them, an<.' 
very considerable churches walking, so far as they had attain- 
ed, in the faith and order of the gospel. Their churches flour- 
ished so considerably, that in the year 1642, there were above 
a dozen ministers, and some of these ministers were stars of 
the first magnitude, shining in their several orbs among them." 
In the reign of Charles I. while the government of the 
church was in the hands of archbishop Laud, the spirit of per- 
secution continued to manifest itself with undiminished vio- 
lence J and the puritans found it necessary to seek a retreat 
from the storm. Emigrations to New England became fre- 
quent ; and the worthiest sons of Britain helped to extend the 
boundaries, and augment the glory, of this new country. The 
settlement of Salem commenced in 1625; and in 1628, Sir 
Henry Roswell and several other gentlemen we're incorporat- 
ed, as a body politick, by a charter from the crown, with the 
title of " The Governor and company of Massachusetts Bay in 
New England." In 1629, a hundred persons from England, 
having spent some time in the place now called Charlestown, 
removed, and began the settlement of Boston. A church was 
formed, of which the Rev. John Wilson was the first pastor. 
In the same year, the government of Massachusetts was trans- 
ferred to the colony : John Winthrop, Esq. was chosen gover- 
nor, and Mr. Thomas Dudley, deputy governor, who, with the 
council and others, amounting in all to fifteen hundred per- 
sons, set sail from England, and, on the 12th of June, arrived 
in Salem. In 1630, Dorchester and Roxbury were settled. 
The minister of Roxbury was the Rev. John Eliot, whose piety, 
and missionary labors have rendered his name immortal. In 
1635, the people of Massachusetts had become so numerous, 
that it was found inexpedient for the whole body of the free- 
men to meet in General Court, as had before been customary ; 
and representatives were chosen for that purpose. In the 
same year, several families from Roxbury, Dorchester, Cam- 
bridge and Watertown, with the Rev. Thomas Hooker at their 
head, pursued their way through the wilderness, and, after a 
laborious and painful journey of fourteen days, arrived at Con- 
necticut river, and founded the towns cf Windsor, Hartford 
and Weathersfield. Such was the beginning of Connecticut. 



9 

Tuelye yearji earlier, a settlement luul ci>nimence»! on the 
Ti'jcalaqua river, tlie first ia New 1 latnpshire ; aiiJ another, 
about the .-^aine time, in tlie district of Maine. In 1G3G, Roger 
Williams, »vho had been banished from Massachusetts as a dis- 
turber of the peace, beci'an, with some of his friends, to settle 
Providence ; and, the next year, the enthusirtstic Mrs. Hutch- 
inson, with .1 larg'e party of lier ndherents, removed from the 
colony, and founded Rhode Island. New Haven was settled 
in 1(338, by an opulent company from London and its vicinity, 
among whom were Messrs. Hopkins, Eaton, and that eminent 
scholar and divine, the Rev. John Davenport. Thus did the 
church in New England break forth, on the right hand and on 
the left. In 16 12, twenty-two years from the first landing at 
riymouth, New England contained lifty towns and villages, be- 
tween thirty and forty meeting houses, and, in all probability, 
a still greater number of faithful and laborious ministers. In 
addition to all their agricultural and social improvements, the 
inhabitants had, at their own expense, erected a castle, forts 
and prisons ; had founded a college ; and had acquired all the 
consistency, order and harmony of a regular political commu- 
nity, governed by their own Inws. In eight years Irom this 
time, the number of churches was forty, and of communicant?, 
seven thousand seven hundred and fifty. In 1G9G, New Eng- 
land contained a hundred and thirty congregational churches, 
and nearly the same number of ministers. 

The population and prosperity of the country had been not 
a little retarded, by those rej)eated wars with the natives, iti 
which our filhcrs were called to engage. Of all enemies, the 
Indian tribes were most to be dreaded, for their cruel mode of 
warfare, their inncxible resolution, and their vindictive resent- 
ment5. It docs not comport witii my design, nor would it be 
consistent with my intended limits, to give you a detailed nar- 
rative of those horrors, which the early history of New Eng- 
land opens to our view. 1 shall merely glance at some of 
tliose prominent events, by which wc may form some concep- 
tion of the i)erilous situation of our ancestors, surrounded by 
foes sagacious to a proverb, and whose revenge was insatiable 
as death. The lamous Teijuod ^var began, seventeen years 
after the settlement of Plymouth, in various depredation*, and 



10 

unprovoked murders committed by the Indians. The whole 
country was in alarm. The colonies, trusting in God, united 
their forces, and poured them into the country of the enemy. 
The Pequods were surprised and overcome. Their total de- 
feat terminated the conflict. 

After this, our fathers, though frequently threatened with 
savag-e hostilities, lived in peace with the Indians for thirty- 
eight years. The calm was, however, succeeded by a dread- 
ful tempest. In 1675, began the war with Philip, sachem ©f 
th« Wampanoags, an artful and ambitious man, who, from jea- 
lousy of the rising prosperity of the colonies, had endeavored 
secretly to engage against them all the neighboring Indians. 
His measures were deeply insidious ; and he seems to have 
aimed at nothing less than the utter extermination of the colo- 
nists. In a little time, all the savage nations in the country 
were excited to arms ; and the most terrible ravages were 
committed by these barbarous enemies of the English. In the 
course of the v/ar, the Indians laid in ashes Mendon, Groton 
and Warwick ; burnt thirty houses in Springfield, most of the 
houses in Deerfield, half the town of Medfield, and many build- 
ings in Lancaster, Rehoboth, Providence, and several other 
places. The inhabitants of this, and the neighboring towns, 
partook of the general alarm. Troops were for a time sta- 
tioned ia Northampton, Hadley and Hatfield, to protect the 
people from the sanguinary depredations of the enemy. A 
signal victory was gained over the Indians in Hatfield, many 
of whom were killed, and the rest fled with such precipitation, 
that not a few of them perished in the river. In this encoun- 
ter, the English lost but one man. In one instance, seven 
hundred Indians made un assault upon this town, but were re- 
pulsed with great loss. It has been stated, I know not upon 
what grounds, that a field-piece, which, a few weeks before 
had been brought from Boston, being loaded by the women of 
Hadley, and conveyed by them to the troops, did great execu- 
tion upon this occasion. The savages, it is said, were imme- 
diately seized with a panic, and fled in every direction. It is 
furthermore aflirmed, that the annual observance of a state 
thanksgiving commenced, in consequence of the extraordinary 
deliverance then afforded to the inhabitants of this town j and 



11 

other sncccspc^;, willi which (ho arms of the colonists had, in 
■various ioslanres, hccn reccntlj ciownod. Thilijj's war con- 
tinued little more than a year ; but might have lasted longer, 
bad not tlie death of that aspiriiii^ chief disijoarlenod the In- 
dians, and disposed tlicm to a cessation of hostilities. The 
victory of the colonists was dearly hought. They had con- 
tracted an enormous deht, ami sustained a great loss of prop- 
erty, by the war. Twelve or thirteen of their towns had been 
destroyed ; six hundred of their buildings laid in ashes ; and 
six hundred inhabitants of New England, the strength and hope 
of the coiuitry, either killed in fight, or murdered by the In- 
dians.* While Philip was extending his ravages in the west; 
the eastern Indians were spreading consternation and death 
through the plantations of the Piscataqua, and the province of 
Maine. The war in that quarter continued three years ; and 
was terminated by a formal treaty of peace, in 1G78. 

In 1688, a new savage war broke out upon our frontiers, of 
which the French were the original instigators. The In- 
dians committed many barbarities, which need not be here 
related ; and the inhuman murder of Major Waldron and his 
companions can never be forgotten in New England. Forces 
were raised by the colonists to attack the French in Nova 
Scotia and Canada ; Port Royal surrendered ; but the expedi- 
tion against Canada proved unsuccessful. This war ended 
in 1693. Peace was however of short continuance ; for the 
next year found the Indians again in arms. This breach of 
treaty was owing to the instigation of the French, who seized 
every occasion to embroil the colonists in war with the natives. 
After harassing and ravaging the country tor three more years, 
the Indians, in 1697, consented to bury the hatchet, and sub- 
mitted to the English government. 

In consequence of the declaration of war by Great Britain, 
in 1702, against bulh France and Spain, the provinces of Mas- 
sachusetts and New Hampshire were exposed, for ten years, 
to the perpetual inroads of the French and Indians. On the 
20th of February, 1703, three hundred of the enemy surprised 

• Dr. TrunihuU supposes, tlmt nearly one f.imlly in twentv. w.is hnrnt 
out, (lurinf; tlie war ; and Ihil llic counlrj sustained llie Ijss of nearly 
a twcntictli part of iU fcnciblc men. 



IS 

Deerfielcl, killed about forty of its inhabitants, destroyed the 
town, and look nearly a hundred captives, of whom, more than 
twenty, being unable to travel with as much expedition as the 
rest of the company, were murdered on their way to Canada. 
Many other settlements shared a similar fate. " The whole 
country," says Dr. Trumlndl, " from Deerfield to Casco, was 
kept in continual alarm and terror by small parties of the ene- 
my. The women and children were obliged to retire into 
garrisons, the men to go armed to their labors, and constantly 
to post sentinels in their fields." The colonies resisted these 
savage aggressions with becoming spirit ; and the exploits of 
Colonel Church in this, and in the preceding war, have given 
to his name a just and lasting celebrity. This war continued, 
till the 29th of October, 1713, when intelligence of the treaty 
of Utrecht arrived in Portsmouth ; and the Indians, no longer 
stimulated to hostility by the French, readily consented to a 
peace. A few years afterwards, the Indians were again excit- 
ed to a rupture with the English, chiefly by the influence of a 
Jesuit French missionary, and the governor of ^Canada; and 
for many months, they pursued the work of devastation with 
their accustomed ferocity. The obnoxious papist, with about 
eighty of his Indians, was at last killed by the English ; Massa- 
chusetts and New Hampshire sent a remonstrance to the gov- 
ernor of Canada against the injustice of his conduct; and soon 
afterwards, a peace with the Indian tribes was concluded at 
Falmouth. This was in the year 1725. 

Amidst all these Indian wars, by which the interests of our 
fathers were so often put in jeopardy, and New England bled 
at ever}' pore, God was still her Friend ; and she rose superior 
to the violeece and rage of her most deadly enemies. 

In addition to all the other troubles of our ancestors, they 
suffered from attempts, made by the mother country, to de- 
prive them of that liberty, which they had earned and main- 
tained, amidst the greatest dangers, with an invincible courage 
and resolution. In 1672, customs were imposed upon the col- 
onists by an act of Parliament ; and their opposition to this 
measure, which they considered unjust and arbitrary, since 
they were taxed without their consent, awakened the resent- 
?rsent of the British government. Various oppressive measures 



IS 

turceoded. In 10(12, Ilcnry CranfioUl, F.sq. \vas appointed l)j 
the king, lieutenant-governor of Nc»v Hampshire ; and exert- 
ed his power hy assuming the legislative functions, endeavor- 
ing to introduce into the province the ceremonies of the Eng- 
li^li liturgy, punishing those clergymen who refused to con- 
torm, and silencing, hy the most severe and arbitrary treat- 
ment, all such, as hetrayed disaffection to his measures. In 
Itio I, Massachusetts was deprived of its charter ; and in IGCG, 
Sir Edmund Andross, whose principles were no less arbitrary 
than those of his royal master James II. was appointed captain- 
general and viee-admiral of New England. He dissolved the 
government of Connecticut, displaced the old officers civil and 
military, and appointed in their room men of similar views to 
his own. He would have seized the charter of that colony, 
had it not, by an ingenious artifice, been taken away, and se- 
oreted. His whole government was oppressive to the last 
degree. Enormovis taxes were demanded; the liberty of the 
press was taken away; the rights of conscience were invaded; 
titles to land were declared invalid; and old proprietors were 
obliged to pay exorbitant fees for new patents, while those 
who refused, being driven from their farms, had the mortitica- 
tion and sorrow of seeing them occujiied b\- others. That the 
people might have no opportunity of consulting together, for 
the redress of grievances, town meetings, except once in a 
year, for the election of town officers, were prohibited ; and 
that no complamts might be carried to Great Britain, none 
were allowed to leave the country without the express con- 
sent of the governor. A systematic effort seems to have been 
made, to humble the spirit, and crush into the dust the glory, 
of Xew England. But God would not permit a catastrophe so 
deplorable. The revolution, which placed the Prince of 
Orange upon the throne of Britain, while it saved the three 
kingdoms from popery and oppression, was also the signal of 
deliverance to the American colonies. The imperious Sir 
Eilmund and his colleagues were sent to England, there to an- 
swer before a proper trilujnal, for their abuse of power.* 
Our fathers were warmly attached to the doctrines of the 

•Andross, in conscrnicnre of an informslity in the charges, was dismis- 
sed wilhout trial. He wa* afterwards appointed governor of > irjiiiia. 



14^ 

Reformation, visually denomiaated the doctrines of grace. 
They maintained a trinity of persons in the Godhead, the di- 
vine foreordination of all events^ personal election, the total 
depravity of man hy nature, justification by faith alone, the 
certain perseverance of the saints, and the eternal punishment 
of such as die impenitent. It was the cordial belief of such 
doctrines as these that supported them under all their trials, 
and animated them to the faithful discharge of every duty. 
Though differing from many others in his views of ecclesiasti- 
cal government, Mr. Robinson had the highest regard for the 
doctrinal articles of the protestant churches of England, Scot- 
land, Ireland, France, Geneva, Switzerland, and the United 
Provinces ; and he defended, in a very able manner, the or- 
thodox faith, in opposition to Arminianism, called by Cotton 
Blather, the "grand choak-weed of true Christianity." Our 
fathers not only believed ; they maintained with great zeal, 
as essential to true religion, the peculiar sentiments of the 
gospel. We read of a Synod in Cambridge, as early as the 
year 1637, in which the Rev. Thomas Hooker and Mr. Peter 
Bulkeley acted as moderators, when eighty errors were exam- 
ined by that body, and formally condemned. The consequen- 
ces were highly salutary. Eleven years afterwards, the 
*' Cambridge Platform" was adopted by another Synod ; and 
this Synod, by a unanimous vote, declared their entire appro- 
bation of the confession of faith, published by the assembly of 
divines in Westminster. At this time, the ministers and church- 
es of Connecticut and New Haven were present ; and concur- 
red in the doings of the Sj'nod. In 1680, another Synod was 
convened by the general court in Boston, by whom the same 
confession of faith was again adopted. In 1702, the general 
Convention of ministers meeting in Boston, published a trea- 
tise, entitled, " A seasonable testimony to the glorieus doc- 
trines of grace ;" in which, the doctrines of election, total de- 
pravitj', efToctual calling, gratuitous justification, and the sure 
perseverance of all the faithful, are asserted in the strongest 
terms. Five or six years afterwards, a Sj'nod, convened in 
Saybrook Connecticut, adopted a platform of church govern- 
ment, and acknowledged the same doctrines with those con- 
tained in the Assembly's Confession of fiuth. I refer you to 



id 

those public bodies, because they represented the great chris- 
tian comirmnity in New Knq;land. All the works, with which 
I am acquaintcit, of our eaj-Iy divines, are richly replete with 
(hose glorious and soul humbling truths, which have in all 
iig^es been so much opposed by men cf corrupt minds. 

The character of our fathers corresponded to the purity of 
(heir sentiments. The Lord's day was with them truly a day 
of rest from all worldly labors and recreations. They made 
giTat sacrifices to support the institutions of the gospel ; and, 
where\'er their lot was cast, their first object was to form 
themselves into a religious society, and settle a minister. They 
were eminent for prayer, and all the exercises of devotion In 
ill their difticidties, whether public or private, they were ac- 
customed to look to God for relief; they cast their burdens 
upon his arm ; they trusted to his guidance ; they acknowledg- 
ed his hand, and joyfully gave than!:s to his name, under all 
the tokens of his favor. Never were people more strict and 
exemplary in their morals. The magistrates of Leyden gave 
the following testimony to the character of Mr. Robinson's 
people, the first settlers of Plymouth. "These English have 
now lived ten years among us, and yet we have never had any 
accusation against any of them." The Rev. Thomas Prince 
jays, " Those who came over first, came hither for the sake 
of' religion, and for that pure religion, wiiich was entirely hat- 
ed by the loose and profane part of the world. Their civil 
and ecclesiastical leaders were exemplary patterns of piet}'. 
They encouraged only the virtuous to come with and follow 
them. They were so strict on the vicious both in the churcfi 
and state, that the incorrigible could not endure to live in the 
country, imd wont bark again. Profane swearers and drunk- 
ards were not known in the land." An eminent minister of 
the gospel, who had lived seven years in the country, declar- 
ed, in a sermon preached before Parliament, that, during the 
whole time of his residence here, he had novi-r heard one 
jirofane oath, nor seen one man intoxicated with strong drink. 
Kvory sym[)tom of degeneracy excited the greatest alarm in 
magistrates, ministers and people. 

Zeal for personal sanctification was attended with grent love 

f.weii;.'- rirfil Tiiis- ii 'p:! r\- <• v i- it lutH. whi.'Ii. f")" \\y -.t (I U'. and 



IG 

under the peculiar embarrassments of our fathers' situation, 
were very extraordinary. Who has not heai'd of the labors of 
the venerable Eliot? By him, the scriptures, and other valua- 
ble books were translated into the language of the natives ; 
and his efforts fer their conversion were unremitted. By the 
same disinterested spirit, Mr. Richard Bo.urne, and the May- 
hews were induced to devote themselves to the salvation of 
the heathen in America. God gave to these endeavors distin- 
guished success. By the year 1660, there were ten towns of 
christian Indians ; and twenty-seven years later, there were 
more than twenty assemblies of the natives, who worshipped 
God through Jesus Christ. At the same time, the Indians had 
four English ministers, and twenty-four preachers of their own 
nation. In 1684, the praying Indians, in the single colony of 
IVew Plymouth, had ten worshipping assemblies ; and in 1685, 
the number of professing christians among them, exclusive of 
children under twelve years of age, was computed to be one 
thousand four hundred and thirty-nine. In 1695, the number 
of converted Indians in Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, was 
supposed to be three thousand; and in the latter place, there 
were three churches, and five regular congregations. Such 
was the diligence of our ancestors, under all the difficulties of 
a new countrj', and the hostility of savage tribes, to extend 
the blessings of the gospel to the surrounding heathen ; and 
thus did God smile upon their benevolent undertaking. 

Men high in office were not ashamed to empio}' theix talents 
and their influence, in promoting the cause of God. The names 
of Bradford, Winthrop, Eaton and Edward Hopkins must be 
dear (o all the friends of evangelical truth, and vital godliness. 
To the memory of Governor Hopkins, whose liberality laid 
the foundation of yonder Academical Institution, indulge me in 
offering, more particularly, the tribute of affectionate venera- 
tion. He was eminently a man of faith and of prayer. In 
earnest devotion, and diffusive benevolence, few have been his 
equals. A few days before his death, he exclaimed, " Oh ! 
Lord, thou has kept the best wine until the last. Oh ! friends, 
could you believe this ? I shall be blessed forever. I shall 
quickly be in eternal glory. Now let the whole world count 
me vile, and call me an hypocrite, or what they will, I matter 



17 

.t not; I sliall Ito lilo<<«ed ; tlicre is reserved for me a crown oi 
jflory. Oh ! blessed be God, for Jesus Christ. I liavc hereto- 
fore tlioiififht it ;ui h:»rd thinsf to die, but now I tlud that it ifl 
not so.'' In this heavenly frame he continued, until his re- 
deemed spirit took its flii^ht to the bosom of his Saviour. May 
the prayers of this holy man be answered, in the richest blcs- 
-ing's upon the Seminary, founded by his munificence, and 
bearing his venerable name. 

The laws and institutions of our fathers arc an imperishable 
monument of their wisdom, as well as of their piety. These 
nere in a high degree calculated to promote re ligion, indus- 
try, enterprise, frugality, temperance, and all those virtues, 
Avhich make a people great, free and happy. Among the other 
means, employed to maintain good principles and habits, the 
early institution of schools is particularly worthy of notice and 
of praise. Every town and pnrish was obliged to support a 
school ; and, where the number of families was sulVicient, a 
grammar school was to be maintained, at the expense of the 
inhabitants. Towns, neglecting for a few months to furnisli 
teachers, were liable to a severe penalty. Legal provision 
was also made, for the education, in the higher branches of 
literature and science, of young men, designed for th« learned 
j)rot'essions. As early as U>37, the General Court of Ma'^-^a- 
chusetts appropriated four hundred pounds for the establish- 
ment of a publick school at Newtown; and in 1G42, only twen- 
ty-two years from the landing of the pilgriias at Plyraoutli, the 
first commencement was held at Cambridge. Yale College 
was foimded in 17U0 ; and received its charter from the gene- 
ral assembly of Connecticut, iu the following year. To the 
various advantages for instruction, furnished by the enligliten- 
ed piety of our forefathers, New England is chielly indebted, 
for its superiority in knowledge, virtue and happiness, to the 
other states of the union. 

I know, it has been lushionablc with some, imgratcfully for- 
getting their obligations to our ancestor-, to reproach the 
names of these excellent men. They have been charged 
with opprcs-ing the natives. No accusation, considered in 
reference to tb.o great body of the first settlers of New liog- 
linrl, caa be mortf»false. .Aggressions generally began on the 



i8 

pari of the Indians ; and the wars of our iathers were for seli- 
defence. Extermination, except for their own security against 
savage depredations, was never their object. They purchased 
their lands of the Indians ; and, " notwithstanding all that has 
been said of the frauds that were practised, I am convinced 
that the purchases were made as honestly then as they are 
now, and that much more valuable considerations were usually 
given." 

Our fathers have been exposed to not a little ridicule for 
their superstitious belief in prodigies, and their prosecutions 
for pretended witchcraft. But under their circumstances, the 
wisest of us should, without doubt, have imbibed the same 
error. The mistake into which they fell, was not peculiar to 
them ; they held it in common with the greatest divines and 
civilians in Europe. Witchcraft was every where accounted 
a reality, and a capital crime. Cotton Mather asserts, that 
nine hundred persons, for this supposed offence, were put to 
death in France ; that many were prosecuted for it in Suffolk 
in England ; and that, in the English county of Essex, in the 
year 1645, fourteen persons were hanged, and a hundred im- 
prisoned, under the imputation of the same crime. The law, 
by which witches were condemned in this country, was copied 
from the English statutes ; and it was not repealed in Great 
Britain, till some time in the reign of George II. Our ances- 
tors were credulous, relative to the subject of witchcraft, not 
because they were wicked, or peculiarly weak, but because, 
being men, they could not entirely emancipate themselves 
from the prejudices of the age. We should perhaps find, on 
examination, that much of our skepticism, which we think so 
agreeable to reason, has no higher origin than the fashion of 
the tiaies. It was once as reputable, to think with Baxter 
and Lord Hale, as it has more lately been, to agree in opinion 
with Hume, or Priestly. 

Respecting the religious persecutions, with which our fa- 
thers have been reproached, while I am far from justifying 
their conduct, I must say, that, in my judgment, much of the 
invective, we are accustomed to hear, is misplaced and extrav- 
agant. It was their design to establish a christian community ; 
and they were therefore tempted to employ improper meas- 



19 

•arc*, for pcrpetuatin"; amoiij; tliemsclvcs hnrrnony of roligioiii 
opinion. Besides, most of the persons uliorn they persccutetl, 
lield disorderly, .is well as unchristian sentiments. Roger 
Williams, much as has been said of his amiable manners, 
adopted notions hostile to all social order. While he with- 
drew himself from the cominunii)n of the churches in Massa- 
chusetts, he refused to take the oath of tidelity ; and he taught 
others to follow his example. For a long time, he was treated 
with gentleness ; and, though he was at last banished from the 
colony, it was not simply for his doctrinal errors, but for the 
factious spirit he manifested. The persecution against the 
quakers was indeed severe ; but it should be considered, that 
the professors of that sect were then far less peaceable citi- 
zens than they have been since, and that their conduct wa<«, in 
many instances, as shamefully indecent, as it was irregular. 
Had our fathers been better instructed in the morality of their 
religion, they would doubtless have refrained from all acts of 
violence in enforcing uniformity of sentiment. I^ut they lived 
in an age, when the subject of religious liberty was not under- 
stood by christians in any country. Coercive measures iu 
matters of faith were almost every where deemed justitiable 
and necessary. In V^irginia itself, it was made penal for par- 
ents to refuse baptism to their children; and severe laws were 
passed against the quakers. Our fathers were, by no means, 
remarkable for their intolerance. On the contrar}', when the 
principles of that period, in reference to the right and duty of 
the magistrate to punish heresy, are considered, it will appear 
surprising, rather that they did not carry persecution further, 
than that they should have persecuted at all. To traduce 
their memory, because they were, in some instances, guilty of 
this crime, is to condemn them, because they were not, in all 
respects, wiser and better than all the rest of mankind. And 
indeed, with all their faults, they deserve, more than any 
other people, the everlasting gratitude and veneration of their 
posterity. 

By the beginning of the eighteenth century, a declension in 
the religion and morals of the country became too e\ ident ; 
and deeply was it lamented by all, who still retained the senti- 
ments and feelings of the old puritans. But God had not for- 



20 

gotten the prayers of his saints, who then slept in the dust 
In various instances, he granted the effusions of his Spirit, to 
convert his enemies, and to huild up his churches, in favored 
New England. In 1734, the memorable revival in Northamp- 
ton began with power ; and in a little time, it spread, to a great 
extent, through the country. Places, near and more remote, 
were visited with a glorious shower of divine grace. Sinners, 
in multitudes, resorted to the standard of the Prince of peace. 
Not a few, who were then inhabitants of this town, are, we 
trust, now praising God in the heavenly world, that they were 
permitted to live in such a time of refreshing from the pres- 
ence of the Lord. The number of those, who were subjects 
of the blessed work, which then prevailed in this place, we 
have not the means of ascertaining; but it is a consolation to 
know, that not one of the Lord's redeemed will be forgotten in 
the morning of the resurrection. In 1740, the Rev. George 
Whitefield first visited New England ; and I need not tell you 
of the wonderful blessing from God, which attended the labors 
of that extraordinary man. The revival, which was commen- 
ced by his instrumentaiit}'^, extended through a great part of 
New England; and thousands, we have reason to believe, then 
began their eternal song. Though in a few years, the work 
seemed to cease, and errors of various kinds prevailed to an 
alarming degree ; yet many and precious were its fruits, and 
their savor has reached even to us. 

In tracing the dealings of God towards our churches, we 
cannot forget the spirit of missions, which began to manifest 
itself, in the early part of the last century. No one man, per- 
haps, has done more than David Brainerd, to excite that uni- 
versal zeal for the salvation of the heathen, which is so con- 
spicuous in the benevolent exertions of christians, at the pres- 
ent day. While we read his life, and contemplate his self- 
denying labors ; let us bless God, that such a man has lived in 
our world. Above all, let us imitate his humility, his faith, 
his patience, his zeal, and those many virtues, which have 
rendered his memory precious. 

A few years after the commencement of that powerful work 
of grace, of which we have spoken, the colonies were involv- 
ed, with the parent country, in a war with France ; and in 



Si 

1745, forces were raiscil, of which 3,200 were omploycil hj 
Massachusetls, for :m enterprise against Louisboura;. The 
project was (Jcomed l)y many very rash anj tlanGferous ; but, 
by the I'avor of God, it was successful, and, to the un'^pcakablc 
joy of the colonies, that strong fortress fell into the hands of 
the British. American bravery was now the subject of admi- 
ration in Kuroj)e, and the source of jealous appreheiwion to 
the jfovcrnment of Ensriand. In the followini? y^-T", the good- 
ness of Providence to the colonies was signally displayed. In- 
stigated by revenge, the French had resolved to reduce the 
country ; and an armament, consisting of many ships of war, 
and transports which contained several thousand men, with 
experienced otlicers, and an ample supply of military stores, 
had sailed for New England. The Americans were exposed, 
unprotected by any mortal arm, to the rage of their formidable 
enemy. What could they do ? Almighty God was their De- 
liverer. Sickness began to prevail among the French ; thir- 
teen hundred of them died at sea, and the rest lost all their 
resolution ; their fleet was broken and scattered by a tempest; 
their commander* and vice-admiral killed themselves in des- 
pair; and the ships, which escaped destruction, returned, car- 
rying pestilence with them, to France. In the next French 
Avar, the colonists bore a distinguished part. In 1755, the 
English gained possession of Nova Scotia ; and the forces, em- 
ployed in the successful expedition against that province, were 
chielly from Massachusetts. The same year has been render- 
ed memorable in America, by the defeat of General Braddock ; 
and the youthful honors, earned by the valor and conduct of 
Washington. For two years afterwards, the prospects of the 
colonists were peculiarly gloomy ; and, in various instances, 
the French arras were successful. In 1758, fairer hopes began 
to be entertained. Louisbourg, which had been by treaty re- 
stored to the French, was again reduced ; and the next year, 
Niagara, Ticonderoga and Crown-point became the property 
of the English. The same year was distinguished by the con- 
«iuest of (Quebec, after a compaign of three moaths. With the 
history of the gallant General Wolfe, who fell upon the heights 

• The duke D'Anville is pener.illy supposed to have destroyed his life 
by poison. PerJiaps his death was occasioned by an apopIcNV. 



ss 

of Abraham, ia the arms of victory, we have been familiar 
from our earliest years. In 17G0, the whole province of Can- 
ada was reduced ; and it has remained to this day, annexed to 
the British empire. A definitive treat}' of peace was settled 
between the belligerent powers in 1763. 

The result of this war was scarcely less glorious to the colo- 
nies, than to the parent State ; it removed from them hostile 
neighbors ; it raised to a higher pitch their zeal for liberty ; 
and it added, in no small degree, to the splendor of their repu- 
tation. They had furnished for the war 23,800 men ; and 
many of the soldiers, who, by their undaunted courage, acquir- 
ed such fame on the plains of Abraham, were sons of Massa- 
chusetts. The successes of Britain served, however, to in- 
crease in her that love of domination, of which the exercise 
towards her colonies, elate with sentiments of freedom and 
honor, led on to the American revolution. 

You will not expect from me a full account of the causes, 
and the progress of that war, which terminated in our inde- 
pendence, and the establishment of a new empire in this wes- 
tern world. I shall only glance at a few of the more impor- 
tant particulars. The celebrated stamp act was passed in 
1765; and was received in America with a spirit of indigna- 
tion, and manly resistance, which the British ministry had little 
anticipated. A congress of deputies from nine of the provin- 
ces, having met at New York, protested, with the energy of 
men determined to be free, against all taxes, not imposed by 
representatives of their own choice. In 1766, the offensive 
act was repealed, but the right of taxing the colonies was still 
maintained by Parliament ; and in 1767, duties were laid on 
various articles, imported from Great Britain into this country. 
In order to carry this law into effect, a Board of commissioners 
was stationed in Boston ,• and, as the measure produced great 
excitement in the town, an armed force was sent thither, to 
compel the inhabitants to submission. The energetick conduct 
of Massachusetts, upon this occasion, was not without its effect 
on the measures of the ministry ; and in 1770, they repealed 
all the duties, with the exception of that upon the article of 
tea. This diminution of their burdens did not, however, sat- 
isfy the patriots of Massachusetts ; they were contending for a 



23 

priociple, not for paltry savings of expenditure. To be taxc(?, 
little or mucli, uithout thoir consent, they would not submit. 
The massacre of tbe 5th of March, in which four men were 
killed, and several others wounded, by the British troops sta- 
tioned in Boston, excited g^reat alarm, and the keenest resent- 
ment in the inhabitants. A new cause of irritation was the 
provision in 1771, for makings the governor and judges inde- 
pendent of the people, by obliging them to look to tbe crowa 
for the payment of their salaries. In 1773, two hundred and 
forty-two chests of tea, designed for the market in Boston, 
were emptied into the sea, by several persons, disguised in the 
Indian habit ; and in the following year, the Boston port-bill, 
and other odious acts were passed, to punish the inhabitants of 
the town for their alleged contumacy. A military force was 
ordered to Boston ; and general Gage was appointed governor 
of Massachusetts. The same year, the deputies of the colo- 
nies assembled at Philadelphia, wlicre they exerted them- 
selves in the cause of freedom, with a wisdom and vigor, that 
have never perhaps been exceeded. After all these proceed- 
ings, new acts o{ oppression against the colonies, continued to 
be passed. The awful moment was evidently now at hand, 
when slavery, or a resort to «rms was to be the only alterna- 
tive. At Lexington, on the 19th of April 1775, the war of the 
revolution commenced. The provincial Congress of Massa- 
chusetts voted to raise an army of 30,000 men ; and to send a 
letter and delegates to the other colonies of New England. 
A general fast, to be observed on the 20th of July, was recom- 
mended by the continental Congress, This year records the 
capture of Ticonderoga and Crown point ; the famous battle 
of Bunker-hill ; the organization of a regular continental army, 
and the appointment of the illustrious Wasmi.vgton as comman- 
der in chief; the reduction of .St. John's and Montreal, by the 
valor of the noble Montgomery ; and his fall, with that of 
many other brave ollicers, in an unsuccessful enterprise, under 
the walls of Quebec. On the 17th of March 1776, the British 
troops evacuated Boston ; and the next summer, a signal vic- 
tory was gained by the Americans, at Charlc-ton in South Car 
"Una. On the 1th of Julv, a day never to be forgotten, that 



S4 

solemn instrument, the Declaration of Independence, was put) 
Jisiied by Congress. During the remainder of the year, Provi-- 
dencG seemed, in general, to frown upon our enterprises. I 
need not remind you of the unfortunate action at Long Island ; 
the abandonment of New Yoi'k by the Americans ; and the 
successes of the British at fort Washington, and fort Lee ; at 
the Jerseys ; in Canada ; and in Rhode Island. At this dis- 
tressing period, the Congress continued firm ; and exerted 
themselves, with a zeal worthy of the cause in which they 
were engaged, to rouse the people to more A'igorous action. 
The battle of Trenton served to raise the drooping spirits of 
©ur countrymen. It was followed, early in the year 1777, by 
the victory at Princeton. But our prosperity was by n© means 
uninterrupted. Various and alarming were our defeats, and 
the losses we sustained during this year. Of these losses, none 
was more deeply deplored in New England, than that of Mount 
Independence and Ticonderoga. From the shock of these dis- 
asters, the Americans soon recovered ; and assumed anew their 
courage and resolution. The battle of Bennington exhibited 
the American valor to peculiar advantage ; and the surrender 
of Burgoyne, with his army at Saratoga, was an event of the 
greatest importance to the country. It inspired the warmest 
hopes ; an<l it gained for us the friendiship and assistance of 
France. In 1779, Stony Point was captured by troops, princi* 
pa!!}' from New England, commanded by general Wayne ; but 
at Savannah, the .\merican forces were severely repulsed. In 
the following year, the Americans, though in various instances 
successful, suffered great losses. Charleston in South Caro- 
lina, after a gallant defence, surrendered to the British arms ; 
and the brave general Lincoln, and the troops under his com- 
mand, were made prisoners of war. In 1781, the decisive 
blow was given, by the capture of Cornwallis ; and Greaf Bri- 
tain was convinced, that it was now too late to think of subdu- 
ing to submission the United States of free ano independent 
America. The provisional articles of peace, between Great 
Britain and this country, were signed at Paris, on the 30th of 
November 1782; and on the 3d of September 1783, were rati- 
fied by a definitive treaty. In 1787, the federal constitution 



2j 

H.T9 foriiicd ; the lirsl Conc;rc.ss, umlcr the new govcrnmenr, 
met at4^ew York, March 4th, 1709 ; and on the 30lh of the 
foMouinSi; April, (lEoi\c;r, Washington was inautfuratBd in tliat 
city, PiusU'-NT OF THK I'lMTrD States. The other I'residenls 
have been Ju„i Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, 
and James Moni',e. From the year 1791, to some time in the 
year 1795, the L^jted Stales were engaged in a war with the 
Indians on the norii of the Ohio river. Mr. Jay's commercial 
treaty with Great Bn^in was negotiated and ratified, in 1794. 
In 179C, we were threaened with a war wilh France ; an army 
was raised ; and the venc-able \Vasliin:;lon consented again to 
assume tlie sword of comm.qj, in 1012, we were once more 
involved in a war with CJre.i Britain ; the events of which 
need not be here mentioned, s^ce thev are fresh in your re- 
membrance. Peace was concluud between that country and 
ours, on the 25th of December I014 ■ and c>n the 11th of the 
following February, the intelligence reached New York, dif- 
fusing sincere joy among all parties. 

The period since our revolution, has 'icen distino'uis'hed by 
great events in the political and moral woJj, While Infideli- 
ty has exhibited itself in all its terrors, and ^.urope has been 
convulsed to its centre; the cause of the liede.mer, gathering 
strength from opposition, has advanced with a rajiJ and "-lori- 
ous march. Christendom has seemed to be awaki.gr from its 
long slumber ; and the angel, having the everlasting rospel to 
preach unto all that dwell upon tlie earth, has commenced his 
flight through the midst of heaven. 

Though the degeneracy of New England has been grcnt ; 
though wickedness, to an alarming degree, abounds; though-— 
on the very spot where the Cottons and the Mathers prayed, 
— -the Saviour is insulted, and robbed of the honors of his Di- 
vinity, \et God has not forsaken the land of the puritans. 
Oh, may all the churches, that were planted amidst their 
prayers, and watered by their tears, soon be revived by his 
grace, and bloom and flourish in their primeval beauty. 

Concerning the origin and progress of this church and soci- 
ety, 1 have been able to collort few fafts, with which you ar:^ 
not alrfady acquainted. To the "Half Cculury Sermon'' cf 

\ 



26 

my predecessor, preached on the 3d of March 1805, and which 
is, I trust, in most of your houses, I would refer you. 'or infor- 
mation upon this subject.* 

In reviewing the dealings of God towards New/^ngland, we 
find the utmost reason to praise and exalt hisffiine. What 
wonders, in the course of two centuries, havr t'cen achieved 
by his Providence ! From the small band, A^i two hundred 
years ago, chose their residence in the ^Aerican wilderness, 
a mighty nation has arisen, like the star of heaven for multi- 
tude. " The Lord's portion is his per^'e ; Jacob is the lot of 
his inheritance. He found him in ' desert land, and in the 
waste, howling wilderness : he le- him about, he instructed 
him, he kept him as the apple ^' ^'^^ eye. As an eagle stir- 
reth up her nest, fluttereth ove her young, spreadeth abroad 
her wings, taketh them, bep^eth them on her wings ; so the 
Lord alone did lead him, '"d there was no strange god with 
him. He made him ride<^n the high places of the earth, that 
he might eat the increase of the fields ; and he made him to 
suck honey out of tJ^ rock, and oil out of the flinty rock. 
There is none like-iiito the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon 
the heaven in W help, and in his excellency on the sky. — 
Surely there is^io inchantment against Jacob, neither is there 
any divinatio* against Israel." And shall the inhabitants of 
New Eno-bnd ever forget the distinguishing goodness of their 
God and/^^edeemer ? If they can, will not the very inanimate 
creatioi around them, " cry out," to rebuke their stupidity 
and iagratitude ? This day, O that all would unite, in celebrat- 
ing^ with the whole heart and soul, the praises of our fathers' 
God. 

May we cherish a more profound respect for the character 
of our ancestors. To them, under Providence, we are indebt- 

* Hadley was settled in 1659; and orig-'inally comprehended, with the 
present town of that name, South Hadiey, Granby, Amherst, Whately, 
Hatfield, and the largest part of VVilliamsburgh. Tlie settlers were 
principally from Hartford and Weathersfie'.d in Connecticut ; and were 
accompanied by their pastor. The ministers of the town have been 
Messrs. Russell, Chauncey, Williams and Hopkins ; all of whom, with 
the exception of Mr. Williams, lived to old age. The present pastor 
was ordained over the church in Hadley, in 1810. 



S7 

ed for our liherln-*, mul tliosc wisp institutions, of wliich wt 
■io justly boast. Freedom and Icarninp;', next to piety and vir- 
tue, wore the earliest lessons which they instilled into the in- 
fant minds of their children. Nor have they labored in vain. 
Our school?, our colleges, and all our various means of social 
improvement, declare to all the world, that their counsels 
have not been lost. New Eng-Jund has stood iirst in every 
hour of peril. She was first in the struggle for independence. 
In answer to the prayeii? of our fathers, our religious privi- 
leges are continued ; and with them, all that is consoling in 
the virtues of social life, all tha». is ennobling in the hopes of 
immortality. In answer to their prayers, the Spirit descends 
upon our churches, reclaims the wandering, subdues the obsti- 
nate, and leads immortal sonls up to glory. Let us then, rever- 
ence, as zi'e ought, the character oj our fathers. 

Let us follow their example. May those doctrines, in the 
firm faith of which they lived and died, te ever the support and 
the consolation of thcii' posterity. Let them not, with the 
vain boast of superior illumination, despise »nd reject the prin- 
ciples, which have been maintained and lovej by the best and 
wisest men that the earth ever saw. Let the religion of our 
fathers be dear to us ;»s our heart's blood. Let us imitate their 
love to God, their alTectionate reliance on the divin? Redeem- 
er, their humble dependance on the influences of tl.e Spirit, 
their benevolence to the souls of men, their disinterestpil la- 
bors, their respect for the holy sabbath, their undissemoled, 
ardent devotion. Yes, we will prove that we honor their 
memory, by cherishing their maxims, and contributing our un- 
feigned support to the iii>ititutions they loved. Thus shall we 
be great like them in the eyes of the nations, — thus shall we 
be honorable in the sight of God. Let us remember, that, in 
the same proportion as we depart from the purity of their 
taitb. and the strictness of their morals, we engage the .\lmigh- 
ty against us, and our country. If we forsake their God, Mk 
will reject us forever. " Say not within yourselves, We have 
Abraham to our father ; for I say unto you. That God is able 
of these stones, to raise up children unto Abraham. And now 
also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees ; therefore eve- 



28 ' 

rj tree, which briugeth not forth good liaii, is hevvu down, 
and cart into the fire." 

A solemn thought forces itself upon my uiiud. We, my 
audience, shall never again meet on a iike oa^asion. When 
the third centurial Jubilee of New England /nail come, who 
of us will then be living to participate in,/ihe general joj ? 
Ah ! let this reflection repress our hjvitj, and excite us to an 
active preparation for our dyiiig hour. /With our hearts sanc- 
tiii(^d by grace, interested in the aion/ment and righteousness 
of the adorable Saviour; may ve, whenever the pale messen- 
ger shall arrive to summon Us bence, be gathered to our 
fathers in peace. Ame.\". 






